Gisla
'''Duchess Gisla' is the elegant, self-possessed daughter of Emperor Charles and his most trusted adviser. She is also the wife of Duke Rollo and mother of William, Marcellus and Cersa. Biography Season 3 Princess Gisla is the daughter of Emperor Charles of ''Frankia''. Gisla is no fool nor a puppet and is much more involved than her father can ever be. The city is in a panic as ''Ragnar'' and his warriors scout a way into the fortified city. Gisla is committed to the people and believes that she and her father should stay and give them support. Count Odo, one of her father's advisers who has helped fortify the city in preparation for the attack, advises the Emperor to leave or at least ask his brothers to help. Charles refuses to ask for help, insisting that he must prove himself to be a worthy successor to his grandfather, Charlemagne. Secretly, Charles is unsure and afraid of remaining in the city, and seeks his daughter's counsel. Gisla advises him that he must remain in ''Paris'' to show his bravery and commitment to his subjects. She quickly assures her father that she is certain he had already decided to do so on his own, allowing him to hide his uncertainty and save face. After Charles retires, Count Odo brings up his marriage proposal, which the princess previously refused. He ponders why she has also refused so many other, better, offers of marriage. Gisla informs him that if he is able to keep the city safe, she will forever be in his debt, and offers him her hand to kiss, which he does. However, she does not make any explicit promise to marry him. On the eve of the ''Vikings'' attack, Charles and Gisla enter the city cathedral, wearing their royal masks. While Charles keeps his mask and prays before the altar, Gisla removes her and looks upon the people so as to encourage them and maintain hope. The next day, Ragnar and his warriors lay siege to the gates of Paris. Safely locked away, Charles sits on his throne, wearing his mask, his eyes darting around the room in fear. Elsewhere, Gisla plans a counter-attack of her own and knows that, while the Northmen may have smaller numbers, they strike fear into her people and that is how they defeat and raid cities. She is shown the sacred banner (Oriflamme) of Saint Dennis, the patron saint of France, by a monk. She then brings the Oriflamme to the cathedral and begs the bishop to bless it, which he does. Princess Gisla ascends the gates, presenting the Oriflamme to the Parisian soldiers, declaring that they should “Show no mercy! Fight on! Fight to the death!”. On the gate, she catches a glimpse of Rollo and the pair lock eyes before he is thrown over by a group of Parisians. Ragnar realises defeat and retreats with his remaining warriors. When the Vikings stage a subsequent night attack on the city, Gisla distributes daggers to her maids and commands them not to allow themselves to be captured alive by the heathens. The Princess then rushes to the besieged gate, accompanied by the Oriflamme. During the battle, she approaches the corridor and observes Rollo in combat, until ''Roland'' beckons her to retreat to a safer distance. After the Vikings retreat, she stares with disgust at the captured ''Sinric'' and Earl Siegfried. After Count Odo and Emperor Charles decide to spare Sinric, Gisla asks what is to be done with Siegfried. Count Odo suggests bartering or ransoming the Earl, but Gisla demands that he be executed. However, at his execution, Siegfried botches the beheading and tricks one soldier into losing his hand. Gisla just scowls at this travesty. With the city running out of food and a spreading plague, Count Odo advises the Emperor to come to terms with the Vikings. The Princess vehemently opposes any negotiations with the Northmen, insisting that the Parisians "Should never give in to these vile pagans" because doing so would be failure for which they would be judged. Despite her protests, her father permits Count Odo to meet the Northmen to negotiate an end to the siege. After Ragnar agrees to accept a ransom payment and end the siege, Emperor Charles holds a celebratory mass. Despite everybody else's high spirits, Gisla is sullen at the fact that her father had to pay the Vikings to leave and does not consider the outcome worth celebrating. She asks the Emperor, "How do you count that a victory, Father?". The Emperor dismisses her objections and promises that they will be better prepared for the next raid, before retiring to rest. Count Odo also approaches Gisla to discuss his prior proposal, but Gisla remains cold and stoic towards him, saying this is "Neither the time nor place for earthly things". Her rebuke enrages the Count, who then seeks the company of another woman eager to show her gratitude. Later, Ragnar, who is believed to have died, is brought inside Paris in order receive a Christian mass before burial, springs out of his coffin before a shocked court and holds a knife to the Emperor's neck. Gisla herself attacks Ragnar, trying to pull him from her father. Ragnar then overpowers Gisla and takes her hostage, using her to move past the guards and reach the outermost gate. After reaching the outer gate, Ragnar releases Gisla and gestures for her to run away, which she does after staring at him incredulously. Ragnar's pallbearers then open the gate and allow the Vikings to enter and raid parts of the city. With winter approaching, however, Ragnar decides to return home until Spring leaving Rollo and a few other warriors behind. Safe inside the castle, her father reveals his plan to win over the Vikings - with his brothers refusing to help, he must offer something more valuable than gold and silver: a marriage, to his daughter. Gisla refuses, but Emperor Charles says she will not refuse her ruler as an emissary has already been sent to the Viking camp. In addition to the offer of marriage to Gisla, the Emperor's delegation offers to grant Rollo lands in the Northern part of Frankia and the title of "Duke". Rollo, intrigued, comes to the castle to meet with the Emperor and his daughter. Before negotiations begin, Gisla stands up and spews her hatred and disdain for Rollo and the proposed marriage, refusing to go along with it. Rollo, apparently oblivious to what she is saying, simply smiles and says "Hello" in Old French. Season 4 Gisla's father escorts her down the aisle for her wedding to Rollo. Upon gazing at her future husband, the Princess begins to cry. The bishop must implore her to kneel at the altar. However, when she does not bow her head in prayer, her father pushes her head down himself and commands the bishop to continue the wedding. Following the wedding, Gisla resists even more fervently. Roland has to carry her over his shoulder to the bedchamber while she screams and thrashes. Gisla curses and spits and Roland, yelling that she wants to die. When she sees Rollo undressing for the bedding, she breaks down and weeps in prayer. After Rollo ejects everyone else from the bedchamber, he tries to comfort Gisla and assures her that she has nothing to fear from him. Gisla does not understand him and screams for him to leave her alone. Rollo seizes and embraces Gisla. She pulls out a dagger from the bed and holds it to his face, but Rollo just laughs. He takes a pillow from under Gisla's head and goes to sleep. Gisla threatens to cut Rollo with her dagger, but her attempts only tickle him. She is surprised and frustrated that Rollo actually falls to sleep in the midst of this. Gisla later enters a room and sees Rollo getting a haircut a dressed like a Frankish noble. He respectfully bows to her and Gisla starts to laugh with her maidens - ridiculing him. Later during a feast Rollo tries to approach her in a table along side her father. She remains hating and cursing him and when Rollo tries to call her his wife in Frankish she throws a cup of wine at his face. saying she will never be his women. In the episode ''Yol'', things change between them. And when a Papal legate from Rome arrives to deal with their divorce. Rollo begs her to reconsider and she indeed admits she felt touched by his loyalty and dedication to learn their language. Later they are shown making love passionately in their bedchamber. Gisla later gets a new haircut and starts to behave more lasciviously, even taking Rollo to a nearby room to have sex during the Christmas feast. In the episode ''Promised'', ''Rollo and Gisla are shown in their bedchamber as two servants come in and place food on the table. Rollo strokes her hair and talks about how he cannot wait to take control of his Northern lands at his own court. Gisla jumps in by saying that they still have business here, family business. She then goes on to say that her father needs him because he is the only strong man that she knows that can support and guide her father in the right direction. Rollo suggests that he father also has Count Odo to which Gisla bad-mouths Odo by saying that she doesn't like him nor does she trust him, even going so far as to say that she hopes he dies in the battle, slain by some unknown assailant. Rollo takes her hand and tells her that only a coward kills a man by stabbing him in the back to which Gisla then explains that, that is only what a Viking would do and that Rollo is no longer a Viking before seductively feeding her husband a piece of chicken. In the episode [[What Might Have Been|''What Might Have Been]], ''the Emperor Charles pleads with Rollo to not change sides, to not go back to his brother, to which Rollo promises that he will not betray the Emperor nor will he betray Paris and that he will most definitely not betray his wife to which Gisla joyfully smiles before saying that they will prevail. In the episode [[The Profit and the Loss|''The Profit and the Loss]],'' they are later shown together during the attack on the towers, where Rollo brought her to watch and carefully keep his eye on her. Later when the battle is won she and Rollo take a stroll on the beach and to her dismay she is surprised to see women among the dead on the beach. Rollo then tells her about the shield-maidens specially [[Lagertha|''Lagertha]]. When she asks if she will ever meet her Rollo answers "Maybe some day". '' In the episode [[Portage|''Portage]], ''while sat at the table with her father and Rollo. Gisla excitedly announces her pregnancy to which they all make a toast to the first grandchild of the new Frankish/Viking alliance. Later, Gisla accompanies Rollo who gains a new title and is awarded by the Emperor the ''Iron hand ''of Frankia. In the episode [[Death All 'Round|''Death All 'Round]], Charles proudly announces his daughter's pregnancy to his fellow subjects and gives Roland the title of Duke to Gisla's dismay. In bed she and Rollo starts to discuss about his appointment and how dangerous he could be. Gisla is then shown praying to the Virgin Mary for Rollo's protection during the battle of the boats and when he returns, she is the first to embrace him and he is named Caesar. In the episode ''Two Journeys'', ''Duchess Gisla is first seen sat on her thrown with her husband Duke Rollo and their three beautiful children William, Marcellus and Cersa as [[Bjorn|''Bjorn]],'' [[Floki|''Floki]], ''Hvitserk'' and other Vikings enter the Palace. Rollo, in Old Norse introduces Gisla and their three children to his nephews before one of the nannies takes the children away, but not before a cheeky William pulls his tongue out at an amused Floki. Gisla, confused asks Rollo in Old French "What are they doing here?", Rollo too confused asks his nephew Bjorn who replies saying "That he wants to go here" showing his uncle an old map of the Mediterranean sea. The only catch is that the only way to get there is to sail through the Frankish coastline. Rollo then tells Gisla that the only way he'll let them pass is if he can go along too. Gisla argues with Rollo and tells him that he is no longer a Viking saying "You renounced your heritage, you embraced our world and our God and i have had your children and they are not Viking". ''Gisla then threatens that if she thought that her children were Viking she would kill them and then kill herself afterwards which angered Rollo to the point in which he grabs her gently by the throat before cupping her face and explaining to her that everything she says is true. He then proceeds to tell her that he loves her and their children, but he cannot deny that part of him which is still Viking. Gisla however isn't having any of it and tells him that he isn't trying hard enough. Rollo backs away and tries to explain his situation by talking about the thunder and how only she would hear thunder but he still hear's the God [[Thor|''Thor]]'' beating his hammer. Gisla shakes her head and walks away just before Rollo is about to speak again. She then swiftly turns around and throws an ornament from the table in her anger. As it smashes into pieces, she bitterly says that if he goes away, whether he lives or dies that him leaving her would probably be the end of them. Personality Princess Gisla is a very beautiful, yet strong-willed, independent woman. She can also be shown to be very self-possessed coming across as very stubborn at times if she does't get her own way. She is also a woman of considerable courage and resolution. Gisla believes strongly in her Christian faiths and is very devoted to her Frankish Gods. However she has a bad distaste for Barbarians like the Viking's who worship other Gods in whom she likes to call savages. Quotes Trivia * Gisla or ''Gisela ''in Old Norse means ''"To Pledge". * Princess Gisla is based on Gisela of France, daughter (probably natural) of King Charles III "the Simple" of the West Franks and consort of Rollo, later known as Duke Rollo of Normandy. Her true existence is still being disputed to this day. Appearances ru:Гизела fr:Gisla uk:Гізела Category:Characters Category:Female Characters Category:Season 3 Characters Category:Season 4 Characters Category:Franks Category:Princesses